Twinkl and Voices of Children partner up to support Ukrainian children’s mental health during the war

The war in Ukraine started around a year ago in February 2022, causing 17.4 million individuals to seek refuge in neighbouring countries. Twinkl Educational Publishing continues to help Ukrainian children and has now teamed up with the Ukraine-based charity fund Voices of Children to provide FREE mental health and art therapy resources for families affected by the war and for anyone in need.

As highlighted in an article published in the European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry journal in March 2022: The effects of war on refugee children are vast, encompassing everything from immediate stress responses to a higher likelihood of developing mental health issues like PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Additionally, being separated from parents and losing a sense of safety during war can have long-term negative impacts on a child’s development. These experiences stand in stark contrast to children’s fundamental needs and rights to grow up in a safe, secure, and predictable environment.

Psychologists from the Voices of Children Foundation explained how the preservation of mental health can be influenced by the people who surround us, showing that resilience is important, and it is resilience which enables an individual to maintain faith in their own strength to overcome difficulties.

Psychologists from the Voices of Children Foundation said:

“One of the difficulties in the work of a psychologist or psychotherapist, which we now encounter quite often, is the misuse of the term “trauma”. The psyche of a person, in particular a small child, has a number of protective mechanisms that are activated in conditions of increased stress. The preservation of mental health is also influenced by the people who surround us, who support and care for us and help us cope with the most severe stress.”

To conclude they mentioned that studies linked to mass disasters showed that post-traumatic stress disorder is one of the most severe forms of stress reaction, and it develops in 25-30% of people who have been in emergency situations.

Twinkl’s partnership with Voices of Children wants to contribute to the delivery of trauma-informed care by providing a selection of mental health and art therapy resources that have been reviewed and recommended by the Foundation’s psychologists. These mental health materials are now easily accessible for FREE and grouped in bundles to help parents, carers and mental health professionals support Toddlers and young learners, children aged 7-11, and Teenagers express and manage their emotions, develop coping strategies, and reduce anxiety.

Besides storytelling, art therapy activities such as the ones included in this pack are part of the methodology used by the Foundation’s psychologists in their Art Therapy Programme which focuses on understanding children’s emotions and supporting their wellbeing while also helping parents deal with child anxiety.

All resources are available from 24th February 2023 onwards in both Ukrainian and English, to aid speakers of both languages in accessing them. Some materials curated in partnership with Voices of Children are also published in German, French and Polish, and all resource packs created from this collaboration can be found in the Voices of Children page at Twinkl’s platform. Apart from the Dual Language materials, these resources are also available in Ukrainian only and can be accessed for FREE by Ukrainian families and educators anywhere in the world!

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Voices of Children is a Ukraine-based Charity Fund that provides psychological

and psychosocial support to children and parents who suffered as a result of war in Ukraine, carries out advocacy of children’s voices in society, and offers financial support to families who have suffered as a result of war. Moreover, the charity supports children through the creation of educational and cognitive opportunities.

Twinkl, as a Digital Educational Publisher, is offering continued support to Ukrainian children since the war started by offering a wide range of Ukrainian Translated resources while also raising awareness about the impact of war on children living in areas of conflict.

To help Ukrainian children around the world, various teams at Twinkl created bilingual resources in over 10 languages that are linked in this landing page which mostly spotlights Romanian/Ukrainian resources. These materials are available for FREE so that educators and parents have immediate access to them, and children’s education and wellbeing can be supported at all times.

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About Voices of Children:

Voices of Children is a Ukraine-based Charity Fund that provides psychological and psychosocial support to children and parents who suffered as a result of war in Ukraine, carries out advocacy of children’s voices in society, and supports children through the creation of educational and cognitive opportunities, provides targeted humanitarian aid in wartime and targeted support for children and families. It uses such methodology as “children and war”, “safe space methodology” art therapy tools, and storytelling to support the wellbeing of children, and offers financial support to families who have suffered as a result of war.

“No child must be left alone with the war experience.“- mission.

The goal of the organisation is to create conditions when every child will be heard and his/her rights will be protected.

About Twinkl:

Twinkl was founded in 2010 in Sheffield by husband and wife Jonathan and Susie Seaton, with a mission ‘to help those who teach’.

The company provides high quality, online learning materials and services, which are all teacher-created and checked.

Twinkl offers over 930,000 resources, with new content added daily. This ranges from schemes of work and assessments to augmented reality games and much more.

Twinkl is used and trusted by schools and educators in over 200 countries and regions, including primary and secondary school teachers, nursery workers and parents.

Twinkl has over 1400 team members based in its two Sheffield offices and remotely around the globe.

More information can be found at twinkl.co.uk